Al Apone

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"All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet. Every paycheck a fortune. Every formation a parade. I LOVE the Corps!"

Despite a sometimes antagonistic relationship with some of the Marines under his command, notably Private Hudson, Apone was greatly respected by his men. He was taken by the Aliens in the Hive during the early stages of the operation, and was most likely subsequently impregnated with a Chestburster.[3]

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Al Apone was born in Detroit, Michigan on 2nd September 2137. Little is known about his early life or how, why and when he joined the USCM. He later achieved the rank of Master Sergeant. He was selected for the mission to Hadley's Hope due to his expertise in on-the-ground logistics and exemplary leadership abilities.[1] He was second in command of the detachment, under Lieutenant Gorman.

During the initial stages of the operation to LV-426, Apone assumed nominal command of First Squad, superseding Private Hudson.[3] Apone was one of the few Marines that Ellen Ripley became sociable with prior to the mission, joking with him over the relocation of cargo on board the USS Sulaco; Apone, in turn, appreciated her efforts to help despite not being a Marine.

Sergeant Apone inside the Marine APC.

When the Sulaco reached LV-426, Apone readied his men for the drop in typically boisterous fashion before taking his place on board the unit's APC for the drop to the planet's surface. After breaking up Hudson's attempts to embarrass Ripley,[6] Apone led his men into the colony complex. Despite finding evidence of a firefight, the colony was deserted save for Newt, and Apone insisted they had missed the fight.

The Marines quickly discovered the colonists were apparently gathered inside the Atmosphere Processing Plant, and the squad set off to investigate. After entering the Processor, Apone and his men found themselves within the Hive.

Apone torching the Chestburster.

As they progressed further into the structure, Apone received orders from Gorman that he should confiscate ammunition from everyone and deactivate the squad's Smartguns to prevent gunfire damaging the Processor's reactor. Apone began to protest, but was quickly overruled; despite being at odds with the order, he respected the chain of command and passed it on to his men, collecting their ammunition and giving Private Frost the duty of carrying it. Soon afterwards, Apone and the Marines, now armed only with sidearms and a handful of Incinerators, discovered the colonists cocooned in the Hive, including one woman, Mary, who was still alive. Almost immediately, a Chestburster erupted from her body; Apone requistioned Frost's flamethrower, and he and Dietrich quickly torched the Chestburster.

The Chestburster's dying screeches woke the Hive, and soon Apone and his men found themselves surrounded by advancing Warriors. In the chaos of the resulting ambush, Apone was dragged away by a Xenomorph as Gorman tried to command Apone to lay down suppression fire with the incinerators and fall back by squad to the APC. The survivors who escaped the ambush later discovered that Apone had not been killed in the attack, but was presumably being used as a host for a Chestburster inside the Hive. It remains unclear whether he died from the Chestburster, or whether he was killed by the detonation of the Atmosphere Processing Plant's reactor.

Apone was passionate leader who had as much love for the USCM itself as he did the personnel under his command. While Gorman was ostensibly the senior officer aboard the Sulaco, in practice it was clear that Apone was the real leader in the unit; when he was taken inside the Hive, order among the remaining Marines rapidly disintegrated. He was strict but fair and commanded a great deal of respect from his men due to both his effectiveness as a leader and his generally light-hearted attitude. He considered the safety of his men was a priority, and he would not hesitate to question an order that he felt compromised that safety, although ultimately he would always defer to the chain of command.

Apone knew the men under his command well and could often be found laughing and sharing private jokes with his troops, even Private Hudson, with whom he often had confrontations as a result of the latter's sarcastic and insubordinate personality. Despite this jovial attitude, Apone was quick to punish any insubordination or disobedience, or put a stop to any joking that had gone too far. He was typically seen with a cigar in his mouth (even going so far as to sleep with one next to him in his cryo tube so that it would be close at hand when he woke). Unlike many of the other men in the unit, who were at best indifferent towards Ripley owing to her lack of military experience, Apone did his best to make her feel welcome, even asking her how she might be able to assist them in preparing for the mission.

There is some confusion in the film as to Apone's exact rank. The insignia he wears throughout the film is that of a Gunnery Sergeant, yet the manifest seen on a screen aboard the Sulaco just before the crew wakes from hypersleep gives his rank as "M/SGT" (Master Sergeant). Several pieces of Aliens memorabilia also give Apone the rank of Master Sergeant. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report later confirmed that Master Sergeant is the correct rank, and that the insignia he wears in the film is a goof.

Apone actor Al Matthews was a real-life Marine before becoming an actor. He served with the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, receiving thirteen combat awards and decorations including two Purple Hearts.[9] When hired for Aliens, he used his personal military experience to help guide the other actors through the process of portraying believable Marines, and based the character of Apone very much on himself.[10]

During his time working under Roger Corman, Aliens director James Cameron acted as production designer and second unit director on the 1981 film Galaxy of Terror; among the credits for mechanical effects on that production is one Al Apone. It is possible Sgt. Apone's name in Aliens may be a shout out from Cameron to his former colleague.

His name bears a striking similarity to Al Capone; however, this is merely coincidence, as — with the exception of Dwayne Hicks — each of the Marine characters in Aliens simply took their first name from the actor/actress portraying them.

There are fairly obvious similarities between Apone and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson of the Halo franchise. Halo's developer, Bungie, has acknowledged this comparison and admitted that they in fact based Johnson on Apone.[13]

Apone wearing his ring.

In Aliens, Apone can be seen wearing a Masonic ring.[14] Apone's actor, Al Matthews, also can be seen wearing a very similar (possibly the same) ring in the 1997 film The Apocalypse Watch.[15]